Officials recovered Rs 6 crore from the home of Channagiri BJP MLA K. Madal Virupakshappa’s son, V. Prashanth Madal, who was caught red-handed accepting a Rs 40 lakh bribe from a contractor. Madal was nabbed by the anti-corruption branch of Lokayukta on Thursday, after which he was arrested by the police.
#UPDATE | Lokayukta officials conduct raid at the residence of Prashanth Maadal in Bengaluru. Around Rs 6 crore in cash recovered, search underway: Karnataka Lokayukta https://t.co/7LthE4h7U3 pic.twitter.com/1TAk22mF6N
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2023
Following the development, MLA K. Madal Virupakshappa resigned from his position as chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KDSL), alleging a conspiracy against him and his family.
In a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the MLA stated, “There is some conspiracy against my family. I’m submitting resignation under moral responsibility as there is an allegation against me.”
#UPDATE | BJP MLA Maadal Virupakshappa resigns from the board of Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Limited. In a letter to Karnataka CM, he said “there is some conspiracy against my family. I’m submitting resignation under moral responsibility as there is an allegation against me.” https://t.co/7LthE4h7U3
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2023
“Despite that since an allegation has been levelled against me, I am taking moral responsibility and submitting my resignation from the post of KSDL Chairman,” he added.
Karnataka Lokayukta Judge (Retd) B. S. Patil informed on Friday, that Rs 2.02 crore and Rs 6.1 crore were seized from KSDL office and Prashanth’s home, respectively. He added, “Five people have been caught, including Prashanth and put into custody.” A FIR has also been filed.
V. Prashanth Madal, the chief accounting officer of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), was allegedly caught red-handed on Thursday night, collecting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh from a contractor at the KSDL, at the Crescent Road office of his father.
He apparently accepted the bribe on his father’s behalf. The MLA’s son had demanded Rs 81 lakh and Rs 40 lakh was the first instalment. He took the money from a contractor who had supplied chemicals required by the KSDL for soap and detergent production.
Three sacks of cash from the office were recovered by the policemen. Following the discovery, Prashanth’s home was also raided by the Lokayukta investigators, who continued their investigations on Friday.
The trap to catch Prashanth in the act was set after the contractor approached the agency a week earlier. “The money was received on behalf of the KSDL chairman Virupakshappa for raw material procurement. The trap was laid at 6.45 pm. Chairman of KSDL and the accused, who received money, are father and son,” Lokayukta official said.
Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai responded to the arrest by saying that it was evidence that the Lokayukta has been revived to fight corruption, in contrast to the previous Congress administration, which established a separate anti-corruption bureau in addition to the Lokayukta institution to hide its wrongdoings.
“Due to the lack of a strong Lokayukta in the past, many corruption cases during the Congress regime could never got investigated,” the CM said.
“We have been repeatedly saying that we will conduct impartial probe. Our stand in this case as well is that the independent Lokayukta institution will carry out impartial investigation and whoever has done wrong will face action. There is no change in our stand,” Bommai said.
“All the information and the money found there everything is now with the Lokayukta. Let an independent and justified investigation take place. Our objective is that the truth should come out like whose money it was and for what purpose it was meant,” he added.
Addressing D. K. Shivakumar, the state president of the Congress, who said that this episode demonstrated the BJP’s present administration’s 40% commission structure, Bommai argued that there were allegations of corruption against Congress ministers and MLAs that were afterwards suppressed by the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
He added that the Lokayukta, which will conduct investigations and unearth the truth, has been assigned several corruption cases that occurred under the Congress rule.
